Pirates announce several staff changes, name Robby Hammock new manager in Altoona
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced several minor-league staff changes Monday, including new managers for three of the four full-season affiliates. Only manager Miguel Perez at Triple-A Indianapolis remains in his 2023 role.
Robby Hammock, who spent last season managing at High-A Greensboro, is the new manager at Double-A Altoona.
Hammock will be joined by several other new staff members, including hitting coach Brady Conlan, pitching coach Fernando Nieve, integrated baseball performance coach Justin Orton and catching coach Taylor Davis, who played for the Pirates’ big-club briefly in 2021. Bench coach Gary Green, trainer Victor Silva and strength and conditioning coach Glenn Nutting are returning to the Altoona staff.
Hammock played in 182 major-league games for the Arizona Diamondbacks as a catcher and infielder from 2003-11. In his major-league debut, he recorded a single on the first pitch of his first at-bat. He also caught Randy Johnson’s perfect game in 2004.
He replaces Callix Crabbe, who will become the Pirates’ complex hitting coordinator based in Pirate City.
The new managers at Greensboro and Low-A Bradenton are Blake Butler and Jim Horner. Horner replaces Jonathan Johnston.
In addition, Tim McKeithan and Jeremy Bleich have been named assistant director of hitting and pitching, respectively. McKeithan has been with the big-league coaching staff for the past five seasons, Bleich for the past four.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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